Attention all foodies, it’s that time of the year— DFW Restaurant Week!
Restaurant Week DFW, presented by Central Market, is that time of the year when you can check out great restaurants for less than half of the price that you would normally pay to eat in one of them. Restaurant Week officially takes place between August 12–18, although some restaurants will also offer the special deal during a Restaurant Week preview August 9–11, and as well, from August 19–September 1, during an extended Restaurant Week.
Restaurant Week was founded in 1992 by Tim Zagat (same Tim Zagat of the Zagat Survey).
This is the first year that I made my reservations using Facebook Open Table app. In addition to the ease of use and seeing what dates and times are available at each restaurant, you can also accumulate points that can be used for future dining. It’s a win-win!!!
There are 125 restaurants around the DFW metropolis that are offering special, three-course price fixe menus, ranging from $35-$45 for dinner and $25 for lunch. So you have plenty of choices and chances for securing a spot. Additionally, if you spend $25 shopping at Central Market, you’ll receive a coupon for an extra course or dessert on top of the three courses you already get to indulge in.
Another great part of the deal is that participating restaurants donate twenty-percent of the proceeds to the North Texas Food Bank or Lena Pope Home. The North Texas Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that feeds under privileged families through a network of more than 250 partner agencies in 13 counties.
This is a great marketing strategy for Open Table and one that could be easily transferred to your restaurant business. Consider ways in which you could expand your reach with a cause related marketing campaign.
Work with other related businesses in your industry to come up with a similar marketing strategy to Restaurant week. For example, if you are a clothing store or manufacturer, you could designate a time of the year to help cloth the under-privileged. Toms (shoe manufacturer) has done a great job with this strategy. For every pair of shoes you buy from them, they are providing a pair of shoes for a needy person.
Or support a local or world hunger drive by offering a special discount on a certain menu item and donate the proceeds to the charitable organization. This could really help to boost your sales and also gain repeat business.
For more information on the Facebook Open Table app, please check out this article:
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/facebooks-mobile-app-offers-opentable-reservations-151810
3 Martini Lunches 